A Brief History of Grand Rapids, Michigan

Over 2,000 years ago, Grand Rapids was occupied by Hopewell Indians. Louis Campau, a French trader, established a trading post in Grand Rapids in 1826. Although Louis was not the first white settler here, he may have been the most important settler, as he bought what is now the entire downtown business district of Grand Rapids from the federal government in 1831. By 1835, the settlement had incorportated as a village, and the first formal census was in 1845, stating that the population was 1,510, and an area of four squared miles.